A Green Beret’s Guide To Action Bags: “Your Go-To-Kit When You Have To Pop Smoke & Depart In a Rapid Manner”

Whether you’re being hunted for food by zombies as in “World War Z,” being chased by Homey-the-Clown and thugs with civil rioting, or whether the EMP has struck, a good A-bag and equipment can give you a better chance for success…and survival. Don’t wait to find/scrounge the tools you need. Pack it in yourself and stay ahead of the game.

Today we will cover some approaches to A-bags (or “Bug-out Bags” if you prefer) and specialty bags for your person and vehicle. Hopefully, after Part 1 you took a look at your own posture and assessed it for its strengths and for areas you wish to improve upon it. I digress for one second and stress this concept: it is self-assessment that takes priority, and you must be both realistic and objective in assessing all things and actions under your control.

You may be single, may have others who rely on you (children, elderly) to be the “point man,” or your family depends on your function within it (as a dependable “cog” in the family’s “engine,” so to speak). I also invite all of you to participate in the discussion in the comments and share your way, your particular “idiosyncrasies” and leanings for the A-bags. There is no true right or wrong except as weighed by your paradigm and your needs. The needs are as varied as the human race; rarely will the needs of two individuals be identical.

The A-bag is your “action bag,” your go-to kit to grab when you have to pop smoke and depart from the AO in a rapid manner. You can have more than one A-bag and it is advisable, depending on the manner in which you live, your geographical area, and your needs. One can be kept in your vehicle. One should be kept in each vehicle. That is a good minimum standard for you to follow, the more the merrier, as it fits your needs and budget. Do you have an office, a work-locker, and a spot under a counter or in a corner that you can use? Throw a second one there; the more the merrier.

The reason that you want these “second” A-bags for your work/occupation is that you shouldn’t be dragging them back and forth from the vehicles all the time where others can see. If you have a work locker that can be padlocked, then, by all means, stash a bag within it. Each bag should be (by your preference, assessment, and capabilities)between 10-20 lbs: not too heavy, yet with enough basics to pull you through an initial event when the SHTF. For those who cannot tote one of these on their backs for physical reasons, I highly recommend one of those little travel dollies for luggage. They are compact and fold up to stash right next to the A-bag.

All of your bags should be standardized if they’re in multiples (such as one in your wife’s car, one in her office, one in your blazer, and one in your employee locker). By standardized, I mean they should be all the same, exact type of carry bag, a small backpack is preferable. The reason is that each bag should hold a diagram and a list of contents by location; anyone should be able to read the diagram and find the equipment as listed upon it. The diagram included should be of the backpack with the compartments clearly drawn on it. All pouches and compartments of the backpack are assigned an identifier (letter, number, etc.), and each compartment has a list of contents.

By standardizing your A-bags, it takes the guesswork away from you and your family about what things are where. The diagram with list is the refresher to that and can be used for others if necessary. Case in point: you and your family know what is in the middle compartment, but what about Cousin Richard who is visiting from Alaska? Cousin Richard is downtown with you, an EMP goes off, and you have a head-on collision with a bus. You tell Cousin Richard about the A-bag in your trunk and then pass out. Richard can then find the diagram and use what is in the bag to help you, or to help him if (God forbid) you buy the farm.

The point is that a trusted but non-immediate family member or a friend will be able to use the bag and its supplies without dumping it all over the place to “explore” for supplies. Everything should be noted on the list and the list should be updated every 6 months or so as you PMCS (preventative maintenance checks and services) your supplies and foodstuffs for accountability and serviceability. I’m going to list for you the contents of my bag and the reasons included/function of the object (if not self-explanatory).

Note: an asterisk (*) denotes an object to be in a Ziploc or plastic bag; more than one asterisk denotes multiple bags being used.

The A-bag itself is not obsequious in any regard, and would not “stick out as a sore thumb” in an urban or suburban setting. It weighs 18 lbs and I have waterproofed everything in it. So now we have covered A-bags. Let us talk about specialty bags and what they can be used for.

A specialty bag is just that: a bag that carries equipment for either one particular or multiple specialized functions. The special function doesn’t necessarily need to be a particular task; its specialty can lie in the climactic or geographical need based on season, terrain, time of day, etc. The specialty bag can complement the A-bag in your vehicle and need not be standardized. I will tell you about mine.

JJ’s specialty bag is an army desert camo backpack. It contains the following items:

1. Yak-tracks (these are rubber slip-on harnesses with coils of steel for the bottom of shoes/boots) which are a must have in Montana if you want to run on ice….which means if you want to run anywhere in Montana between October to March.

10. (1) polypro socks, (1) set of long john’s [must haves in Montana until June]

All of this stuff weighs about 12 lbs. Now, keep in mind, this is a general-purpose Specialty bag that adds some items in the summer. I say “adds” because I have a rule you may wish to use that follows the principle of “better too much than not enough.”

JJ’s rule: The mountains are always cold and always have snow. Keep all gear ready to head into the mountains in the wintertime and in the summer just add what you need for the summertime.

Remember: we’re covering A-bags and Specialty bags, NOT your rucksack. We will be covering Rucksacks in Part 3. There are other Specialty bags that, although I won’t give complete contents lists, I’ll give you some examples as well as suggest short lists. These may help enable you to come up with some ideas that meet your needs:

For those in an urban setting: climbing ropes, ascenders, gloves, rock hammers, pitons, and a Swiss seat. [what if you’re in a five-story building and it’s on fire?] Remember, you also better know how to climb/mountaineer and use your equipment!

What is your occupation? This will enable you perhaps to be more inconspicuous with your specialty bag (tools wouldn’t look out of place on a construction site, or a maintenance facility, for example)

Family special needs: Does someone in your family need special medications or clothing? Is there anyone with asthma or COPD? A special bag just for them would expedite things in the event of an emergency, such as inhalers or a small oxygen bottle, or other supplies such as nasal cannulae, bee sting kits, diabetes supplies, and so on.

A really good medical aid-bag (Army Medic, for example), fully stocked and ready to go with splints, braces, etc.)

So that will cover things for starters. Any suggestions? Fill that comments section and let’s pick up some “cross-chatter” and discuss some good things that you guys and gals have learned. Just remember to not procrastinate if you do not have an A-bag made: you never know when you’re going to need it. Whether you’re being hunted for food by zombies as in “World War Z,” being chased by Homey-the-Clown and thugs with civil rioting, or whether the EMP has struck, a good A-bag and equipment can give you a better chance for success…and survival. Don’t wait to find/scrounge the tools you need. Pack it in yourself and stay ahead of the game.

I look forward to hearing from each of you, and hope you have a nice day!

This article was originally published at Ready Nutrition™ on June 7th, 2015

4 Comments

Forearmed
on June 8, 2015 at 10:04 am

That is all well and good for those who are able to escape on foot. Most large cities will be so crammed with dead cars on the freeway, that no one will escape but on foot. But my friend, just how far do you think most will get? Even if the general populace takes your advice, they won’t get far. So, for all the good your advice is, it still won’t do for the majority of humans in their cities.

This type of escape is for the young and the strong. For the rest of us we’ll rally in place if that is even possible considering what might befall us. The nature of a geologic catastrophe is not generally forewarned, and even if were, most have no where to go, and that is why the government won’t tell us if we are to be obliterated by the millions.

Even if a person does escape, just how long do you think it will be before all the flora and fauna a human depends on is exhausted. Your little bag of tricks won’t really get you that far. How far can you walk in a day? When a city’s infrastructure is compromised everything that is supported by it will also collapse, and that includes the food supply chain we all depend upon.

Good ideas for your Bag and good article. im sure each person will have a bag to fit into his lifestyle and surrounding area. a few things i can think of that would be complimentary to your ideas are a piece of hard candy for quick energy and a couple packs of fast food packets of salt go along way to bring up expended electrolytes during a fast hump with your a bag trying to get to your home or “ruck” some people may be more sensitive to the loss of electrolytes than others so add appropriately. you may also want to consider a road flare for many reasons… starting a fast fire, or attracting attention (if not grid down yet) and one good multi-tool can replace a knife, screw driver and provide more-in-one for over all getting stuff done in a small light package (my favorite is the leatherman SURGE) reason i like the SURGE is it has good tough tools and a removable file to sharpen its self or other items. i would suggest train and use your bag and hump with it on a week end and see how it works by its self. that way you know you can depend on your bag. everyone got good ideas until you are stuck with it in a dangerous life threatening situation and you figure out you dont have something simple you could have added. remember your life depends on it being packed well.